Abstract: Should you be asked questions by an insurance adjuster,
you should know who the adjuster is, and whom he or she is representing.
Insurance adjusters fall into two categories; public adjusters and insurance
adjusters.

Public adjusters work for the insured. They are licensed by the state
and are paid either on an hourly basis or receive a percentage of the money
paid by the insurance company. The public adjuster represents the interests
of the insured and will attempt to show that the insured met his or her
contractual obligations, in addition to conducting inventory of the premises,
assessing the damage, and consequently determining what is owed. In rare
cases, usually when the insured is suspected of arson or negligence, the
public adjuster will advise the insured to obtain an independent cause and
origin investigator.

Insurance adjusters, however, represent the insurance company and will
evaluate the contract and the need to adjust the loss. A number of job titles
are associated with this category of adjusting; general adjusters, regional
and national general adjusters perform the ìout of officeî
investigation, on the site. They report to the in-house staff, known as
adjusters, claims representatives or claims examiners. Independent adjusters
sell their services to insurance companies and may represent several at
one time.

Insurance adjusters, in their attempts to establish the facts and evaluate
the losses, will hire various experts including independent cause-and-origin
investigators, salvors, builders, accountants, engineers or attorneys. The
insurance company will conduct a loss control investigation to determine
if the fire could have been prevented and how fire suppression methods might
have reduced the losses. Recommendations will be made as to preventing such
a loss in the future and the insuredís contract might be amended.

Independent cause-and-origin investigators have a fire service background.
They will examine elements such as origin, opportunity and motive to identify
the responsible party. This investigator will want to conduct a walk-through
at the scene with the fire official responsible for the cause and origin
report, interview firefighters, obtain official reports and test results,
establish origin and confirm the fireís spread, get the official
investigatorís opinion and access the course of the investigation.
He or she may also send samples to an independent lab.

Insurance companies will also examine an insured's records and books
to determine a financial motive for setting the fire. Forensic accountants
will analyze cash flow, debts and income statements which might suggest
fraud.

Understanding whom the insurance adjuster represents can prevent misunderstandings
from occurring. This understanding might also contribute to the recognition
of resources of information that might aid in the fire department's own
investigation.